How to use the virtual world of the Internet to multiply the effectiveness of your real-world marketing activities. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel that managing a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ business is downright unsexy! Particularly when stories abound of Web entrepreneurs who have reinvented business as we know it (and become […]
I spent a couple of hours with a Sydney-based insolvency practitioner last week. He visited to request assistance with his marketing. (Yes it’s okay, Ballistix is still solvent!) Because this was my first meeting with a potential client I waited a full 10 minutes before challenging the viability of his business model. Fortunately, my guest’s […]
My first piece of advice is simple: treat the Internet as an opportunity for your business — rather than as a business opportunity, in and of itself. The fact is, there’s more mileage in using the Internet to better execute your existing strategy than there is in treating it as an entirely new business model. […]
Now here’s a common concern. How do you harness the obvious revenue-generating benefits of discounting – without damaging your corporate image? If, like Super Cheap Auto, you are positioned as a discounter in your particular industry category, promoting reduced prices may enhance your corporate image. But, if you wish your market to perceive you as […]
If you stop and think about it, there are probably many companies you deal with automatically. You don’t stop to think about price, quality, service, or convenience – you just instinctively make your purchasing decision. We might be talking about your printer, your doctor, your real estate agent or your computer supplier. But then we […]
For most of us, advertising is a little like prayer. We’re not sure it provides any benefit, but we do it anyway, just in case! Of course, one difference between advertising and prayer is that advertising costs you money. And, as a professional manager, your job is to maximise your return on capital. In other […]
I’m always bemused by the exalted tone used by salespeople and management when discussing ‘qualification’. The presumption seems to be that this activity somehow adds tremendous value to the opportunity-management process. I suspect, in most cases, it does the opposite! From what I’ve observed, ‘qualification’ typically involves a salesperson making preliminary contact with a list […]
I heard an amusing story the other day. I was talking to the Managing Director of a large manufacturing firm, with a force of 100+ salespeople. He told me about how he recently went on a sales call with one of these salespeople. After the appointment, the two of them returned to the salesperson’s car. […]
It’s a common practice to categorise clients (or prospects) using an A/B/C rating (or similar). This practice may be common, but it’s rarely sensible! Organisations typically apply such a classification in an attempt to prioritise the allocation of sales resources (field or phone) to relationships under management. If those resources are abundant, this method may […]
